Department of Communication, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
J Med Internet Res. 2021 Sep 27;23(9):e28700. doi: 10.2196/28700.
Given that governmental prevention measures restricted most face-to-face communications, online self-disclosure via smartphones emerged as an alternative coping strategy that aimed at reducing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people's psychological health. Prepandemic research demonstrated that online self-disclosure benefits people's psychological health by establishing meaningful relationships, obtaining social support, and achieving self-acceptance, particularly in times of crisis. However, it is unclear whether these dynamics transition well to lockdown conditions where online self-disclosure must stand almost entirely on its own. Longitudinal investigations are needed to gain insights into the psychological functionalities of online self-disclosure during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This study aimed to determine the temporal associations between smartphone online self-disclosure (as a communicative behavior) and critical indicators of psychological health (including psychopathological, as well as hedonic and eudaimonic states) during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Austria.
We conducted a representative 2-wave panel survey between late March/April 2020 and May 2020. A total of 416 participants completed both waves (43.1% attrition rate, given n=731 participants who completed the first wave). A partially metric measurement invariant overtime structural equation model was used to determine the temporal associations among online self-disclosure, fear of COVID-19, happiness, and psychological well-being.
The analysis revealed that fear of COVID-19 significantly predicted online self-disclosure over time (b=0.24, P=.003) and happiness over time (b=-0.14, P=.04), but not psychological well-being (b=0.03, P=.48), that is, stronger COVID-19 fears at T1 prompted more online self-disclosure and less happiness at T2. Online self-disclosure, on the other hand, significantly predicted happiness (b=0.09, P=.02), but neither fear of COVID-19 (b=-0.01, P=.57) nor psychological well-being (b=-0.01, P=.57) over time. Participants who engaged more strongly in online self-disclosure at T1 felt happier at T2, but they did not differ from less-disclosing participants concerning COVID-19 fears and psychological well-being at T2. Importantly, happiness and psychological well-being were significantly related over time (happiness T1 → psychological well-being T2: b=0.11, P<.001; psychological well-being T1 → happiness T2: b=0.42, P<.001).
Our findings suggest that online self-disclosure might play a pivotal role in coping with pandemic stressors. With restrictions on their options, individuals increasingly turn to their smartphones and social media to disclose their feelings, problems, and concerns during lockdown. While online self-disclosure might not alleviate fears or improve psychological well-being, our results demonstrate that it made people experience more happiness during this crisis. This psychological resource may help them withstand the severe psychological consequences of the COVID-19 crisis over longer timeframes.
由于政府的预防措施限制了大多数面对面的交流，通过智能手机进行在线自我表露成为了一种替代的应对策略，旨在减轻 COVID-19 大流行对人们心理健康的影响。在大流行之前的研究表明，在线自我表露通过建立有意义的关系、获得社会支持和实现自我接纳，有益于人们的心理健康，尤其是在危机时期。然而，目前尚不清楚这些动态是否能很好地转化为封锁条件，在这种条件下，在线自我表露几乎完全依靠自身。需要进行纵向研究，以深入了解 COVID-19 大流行期间在线自我表露的心理功能。
本研究旨在确定在奥地利首次 COVID-19 封锁期间，智能手机在线自我表露（作为一种沟通行为）与关键心理健康指标（包括心理病理学、享乐和幸福状态）之间的时间关联。
我们在 2020 年 3 月下旬/4 月至 2020 年 5 月之间进行了一项具有代表性的 2 波面板调查。共有 416 名参与者完成了这两个阶段（考虑到完成第一阶段的 731 名参与者，流失率为 43.1%）。使用部分度量不变的时间序列结构方程模型来确定在线自我表露、对 COVID-19 的恐惧、幸福感和心理幸福感之间的时间关联。
分析表明，对 COVID-19 的恐惧在时间上显著预测了在线自我表露（b=0.24，P=.003）和幸福感（b=-0.14，P=.04），但对心理幸福感（b=0.03，P=.48）没有预测，即在 T1 时对 COVID-19 的恐惧越强，在 T2 时的在线自我表露和幸福感越低。另一方面，在线自我表露在时间上显著预测了幸福感（b=0.09，P=.02），但对 COVID-19 的恐惧（b=-0.01，P=.57）和幸福感（b=-0.01，P=.57）没有预测。在 T1 时更强烈地进行在线自我表露的参与者在 T2 时感到更幸福，但他们在 T2 时与较少表露的参与者在对 COVID-19 的恐惧和心理幸福感方面没有差异。重要的是，幸福感和心理幸福感在时间上显著相关（幸福感 T1→心理幸福感 T2：b=0.11，P<.001；心理幸福感 T1→幸福感 T2：b=0.42，P<.001）。
我们的发现表明，在线自我表露在应对大流行压力源方面可能发挥关键作用。由于他们的选择受到限制，个人在封锁期间越来越转向智能手机和社交媒体来表达自己的感受、问题和担忧。虽然在线自我表露可能无法减轻恐惧或改善心理幸福感，但我们的结果表明，它使人们在这场危机中体验到更多的幸福感。这种心理资源可能帮助他们在更长的时间内承受 COVID-19 危机的严重心理后果。
